The keyboard options four-zone coloration backlighting, tunable via Acer’s intensive PredatorSense system, which controls the whole lot from battery charging particulars as to whether you need to customise the emblem displayed because the laptop computer boots. It’s obtainable through a devoted key above the slim numeric keypad. The opposite bespoke key on the machine is the Mode key, discovered above the highest left of the keyboard. This shifts amongst 4 completely different efficiency/fan operation modes when plugged in; two of those modes can be found when operating on battery energy.
Due to the numeric keypad, the keyboard and touchpad are shifted fairly far to the left. This is likely to be a case the place you’ll be able to adapt to the format over time, however I discovered it robust to work comfortably when pushed this far to at least one facet, particularly when utilizing the arrow keys, which spill over into each the keyboard and keypad areas.
Ports are distinctive and may be discovered on either side and the rear of the machine. These embody two USB-C ports (one with Thunderbolt 4 assist), three USB-A ports, a full-size HDMI port, a full-size Ethernet jack, and a microSD card slot. You’ll want to make use of the separate energy jack and 230-watt A/C adapter to energy the machine. (The adapter itself is heavy however not significantly massive, weighing 1.1 kilos.)
The display screen is among the brightest I’ve seen in years, and whereas the audio system aren’t significantly nuanced, they’re not less than loads loud. Sadly, they should be, as a result of when the fan kicks in, which is commonly, this can be very noisy.
Pc Crash
{Photograph}: Chris Null
Put collectively the entire package deal, and also you’ve obtained efficiency to spare on just about something you’ll be able to throw at this method. The Helios set data practically throughout the board on my battery of benchmarks, together with (by far) one of the best GPU-related scores I’ve seen to this point, handily beating the MacBook Professional M4 Professional by 50 p.c on the Geekbench 6 GPU check whereas practically doubling graphics efficiency over programs outfitted with the final era of GeForce laptop computer GPUs.
